Circular Plastic Production: Waste to Product Pilot
Discover how Return Club and Tide Watches are building a circular plastic production chain with Dutch universities to turn local waste into real products.
REAL PRODUCTION. NOT A CONCEPT.
Return Club × Tide Watches × HBO
From Waste
to Product.
Building a circular plastic production chain with students
Return Club
Tide Watches
Universities of Applied Sciences
The reality
02 — THE PROBLEM
The Reality Today
80% of plastic waste is still downcycled or incinerated
Local circular production barely exists
Students work on theory — not real production
There is a gap between education, industry, and circular innovation.
03 — THE OPPORTUNITY
What if education WAS the production floor?
Real Production Environment
Students work in an actual circular factory
Tangible Challenges
Design, test, and improve real products
Local Circular Value Chains
From Dutch plastic waste to Dutch products
Cross-discipline Collaboration
Engineering + Design + Business united
This is not a research project. It is a living production system.
04 — WHO WE ARE
Meet the Partners
Coen Faber - Return Club
Circular Plastic Production
Active in recycling and circular product development. Equipped with shredder, granulator, sheet press, and CNC machine.
Daan Spits - Tide Watches
Ocean Plastic Products
Creating products from recycled ocean plastic (Healix). Proven circular design and production expertise.
Together: an active network of partners, machines, and material streams
05 — THE VISION
A Circular Chain in the Region
Local plastic. Local production. Local value.
Plastic Waste
Collected locally
Shred + Granulate
Broken down to granules
Press into Sheets
Flat material ready to use
CNC + Fabricate
Cut and shaped by students
Finished Products
Real, sellable products
06 — THE PROJECT
What We Will Build Together
50+
Recycled Plastic Sheets
Pressed and produced
50+
Finished Products
Designed and made by students
1
Real Production Chain
From waste to product, end to end
Develop & optimize the process
Replace virgin with recycled plastic
Test material performance
Create market-ready products
This is a production pilot — with real output, real learning, and real impact.
Students as Makers
07 — STUDENT ROLES
Students actively contribute to:
Product Design & Prototyping
Process Optimization (sheet press, CNC)
Material Testing & Improvement
Developing Applications & Use Cases
Business Models & Market Validation
Students work on products that are actually produced.
Not simulations. Not case studies. Real work.
08 — EXAMPLE PROJECTS
What Students Could Build
Circular Furniture Collection
Design & Engineering
Design and produce a furniture series from recycled sheets
Sheet Press Optimization
Process Engineering
Improve efficiency, temperature control, and output quality
Material Consistency Research
Materials Science
Test and document material performance across batches
Circular Business Model
Business & Strategy
Develop pricing, positioning, and go-to-market for recycled products
09 — THE ENVIRONMENT
A Living Lab for Circular Manufacturing
The plastic sheet press is the heart of the learning environment — ideally housed at the university.
The Machine
The Students
The Output
Located at your university
Hybrid: education + production
Open to all disciplines
10 — VALUE FOR YOU
What's in it for Your University?
01
Real-World Education
Students tackle actual production challenges, not simulations
02
Industry Collaboration
Partnership with Return Club and Tide Watches from day one
03
Sustainability Goals
Tangible contribution to circular economy and SDGs
04
Visibility & Impact
Showcase innovation in circular manufacturing to the world
05
Research Opportunities
Materials, process, business model — rich research territory
Your students build something real. Your institution leads the circular transition.
11 — NEXT STEPS
How We Start
Pilot Partnership
1–2 universities join as founding partners
Curriculum Integration
Minors, internships, and graduation projects
Machine Setup
Sheet press placed at university, students onboarded
First Products
50 sheets, 50 products produced together
🎓 For Students
Real production experience, design challenges, graduation research
🏫 For Universities
Flexible integration, visible impact, industry network
Flexible start — near term. Let's build together.
REAL PRODUCTION. NOT A CONCEPT.
12 — LET'S BUILD THIS
Let's build a
circular chain
together.
We are looking for pilot partners.
Universities of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands who want to lead the circular transition.
Become a Pilot Partner
Let's Explore Together
Return Club × Tide Watches | returnclub.nl
- circular-economy
- plastic-recycling
- sustainability
- manufacturing
- education
- university-partnership
- product-design